Stormy Night
by 9CatsIn6Hats
Summary: Lily can't sleep during a storm and goes to seek comfort. LE/JP


**A/N:** This is something I wrote a looong time ago (over a year, at least), recently found in my mess of files, edited very slightly, and decided to post. It's nothing special, mostly fluff, but fluff is still fun, so here ya'll go. Takes place sometime after Lily and James first start dating.

**Disclaimer: No es mio.**

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**Stormy Night**

A storm raged that night, and the loud grumblings of thunder penetrated the castle and Gryffindor Tower. Lily Evans spent a good several hours tossing and turning in her four-poster bed, unable to fall asleep, listening to the slightly muffled sounds of the storm. She didn't usually have trouble falling asleep during thunder storms, and it wasn't that they frightened her. No, the reason that it was so impossible for her to drift off was that she kept thinking too much. Being wrapped in soft, warm bed covers felt more comfortable than usual when raindrops pelted the windows and high winds wailed outside. Yet, at the same time, awareness of nature's violent dance outside of Hogwarts's protective walls made Lily feel rather distressed as it reminded her of what else may be storming out there.

As she lay in the darkness, Lily thought of everything that had been on her mind her lately. Mainly, the knowledge that it was already springtime, and a mere three months separated the seventh years' lives as students from turning into those of self-sustaining adults. And of course, there were NEWTs to face before the end of school. Even if she and James had both already decided the Order of the Phoenix would be their priority after they graduate, NEWT scores would be important in whatever careers they'll chose to pursue after the war.

_I'm not going to fall asleep anytime soon, am I?_

With that thought, Lily turned over once again, and slightly drew back the curtains that hung around her bed. She was about to light her wand so she could read the time on her nightstand clock, but just then a flash of lightening did the job for her, and she was able to tell from the split-second brightness: _almost 2:15_. A clap of thunder, louder than those before, followed the flash.

Restless from lying awake for at least three hours, Lily decided to get out of bed. _To do what?_, she didn't know. Feeling her way around in the now complete darkness (there was no moonlight shining through the windows), Lily put on a robe over her nightgown and furry slippers on her feet. After sticking her wand in her robe pocket, she slipped out out of the 7th year girls' dorm, closing the door softly behind her. Once out on the stair landing, she took her wand and whispered in a barely audible voice, "_lumos"_, so that the tip began glowing just enough for her to tell where she was stepping.

The normally inviting common room seemed somehow desolate at this hour of night. Embers were flickering in the fireplace as the last of the fire died out, and the usually lit candles on the walls were all extinguished. The house elves apparently hadn't come yet, because scrunched up pieces of parchment and broken quills, left behind by the students, were littered around. Lily didn't want to stay in this cold, empty room any more than she wanted to stay up in her dorm.

Then, her mind jumped to a particular person, as it recently had been doing when she was seeking comfort. _James_. She knew that just the feeling of him next to her would bring her some sense of ease. Hesitating slightly (after all, sneaking into the boys' dorms in the middle of the night was something most people would frown upon), Lily began to ascend the staircase which led to the Marauders' dormitory. Once she was standing in front of the door, her lit wand still held aloft, she wasn't sure how to proceed. Deciding on a careful knock that would be unlikely to wake anyone sleeping, Lily softly rapped her knuckles against the wood. As she expected, there was no answer, and she slowly opened the door herself.

Loud snoring met her ears, coming from the direction of what Lily knew to be Peter's bed. She was familiar with the layout of the room, having been there several times with James. During the most recent of these visits, James had revealed a great secret to her. She had stood speechless, staring at the great animal, a stag, with his strong antlers and big brown eyes.

By the light of her wand, Lily reached James's four-poster, and tentatively pulled back the curtain. She smiled slightly as she looked down at him, calm and sleeping. She sat upon the edge of the bed and extinguished her wand's light with a quiet mutter. He didn't stir, even as another roll of thunder sounded from outside. Sitting so close to him, Lily heard his deep, steady breaths over the sounds of Peter's snoring and rain still pelting the windows. He looked a bit different, somehow, and Lily realized it must be because she was most used to seeing him with his glasses on. She reached out a hand and gently stroked the bangs off his forehead.

_I love him._

Lily was both surprised and unsurprised when these words ran through her mind as one thought. She took several moments to _feel_ it, think it over, and confirm it to be true. She loved James. She loved him and it was so natural and easy that it almost felt silly how never before had the thought formed in her head. And never before had she spoken about it to him. Of course, they both knew that whatever they had, it was special. It was something real. But _love_?.. And it was true that all their friends had joked about Lily's and James's relationship, calling them "those two madly-in-love loons" and such, but Lily knew this was the first time that she accepted those words in all seriousness.

_I love him._

To her, he was the person for whom there was no replacement. He, James, was always there and so intertwined in her life, that in a way, he was really part of her. And she knew that she could always count on him to stand next to her, to color her life and to bring her warmth. She loved every piece and particle that was James Potter. Everything from how he made her glare at him for his immature remarks, to how he'd kiss that spot just above her collarbone, and to the way he sometimes looked as though he knew what's waiting for them all, and that he's prepared to face it.

_I love him._

It made her feel older, somehow. Perhaps because she had never thought that it would all happen so soon. Before James, she had always imagined that she'd fall in love maybe in her mid-twenties, after dating around a bit. But it was funny, how nothing happened at all like she had imagined. She supposed that was just something life did.

And now, as she still sat in the boys' dormitory, the continuing storm drumming, howling, and, once in a while, thundering, Lily felt him next to her and wished for it to always be this way. As she traced her fingers down his cheek, Lily thought about waking him up for him to hear the words she'd whisper in his ear, in the end deciding to let him sleep. But as she lowered her head, James surprised her by mumbling softly, in a just-awoken disoriented voice.

"Lily?..What's wrong?"

In the dark, she hadn't even realized that he had opened his eyes.

"Oh..nothing's wrong. I just couldn't sleep. Sorry for waking you up."

"S'alright. Do you want to lay here with me? Though I see you didn't really wait for my invitation."

Lily sat up, blushing, but knew that James couldn't see under the cover of darkness. "I wasn't really getting in bed with you. I just...", but then she though it better not to explain herself.

"Aren't you cold? Do you want to get under the covers?"

Actually, Lily wasn't cold in particular, but she took off her robe and slippers, and got under those covers anyway. James moved over to make room for her, and wrapped his arms around her once she was next to him. Lily snuggled in, smiling at his closeness and taking in his scent.

The words she had said to herself once again rang in her head.

Still smiling, Lily moved up slightly, so that her face was right next to James's. "Hey."

"Hey."

"I love you.", she said it in a clear, strong whisper, so he would unquestionably hear over the sounds of the ongoing storm.

In the following moments, no answer came from James, though they still lay in a tight embrace and Lily noticed that for that stretch of time, his breathing had stopped, though she could still feel his heart beating a steady rhythm. The next second his hands were on her face and his lips were brushing hers softly as he whispered back, "Love you too."

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**A/N**: *cough* *coughcoughcough* Excuse me, hard to breath with all this fluff in the air. Oh well, breathing - who needs that when you've got FLUFFF.


End file.
